HOUSTON – CBRE has been hired to identify operators to lease an 8,547-square-foot restaurant that will be part of the Jones Plaza redevelopment in downtown Houston’s Theater District.
Houston First Corporation, the public entity that manages the city’s performance halls, the convention center and the Hilton Americas–Houston convention hotel, is leading a $29 million project to redevelop Jones Plaza.
The plaza will be renamed Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts after Houston native Lynn Wyatt, who contributed a $10 million gift toward the renovation of the one-block park. The square is bounded by Texas Avenue, Smith Street, Louisiana Street and Capitol Street.
The public greenspace sits amid the Theater District’s major venues — Alley Theatre, Jones Hall, The Hobby Center and Wortham Theater Center — and faces the 56-story TC Energy Center (formerly Bank of America Center), a distinctive red-granite office tower with a gabled roofline.
For years Jones Plaza had been criticized for its appearance, and a comprehensive upgrade was deemed necessary.
“The Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts will be a game-changer for the Theater District and the west side of downtown Houston,” said Brenda Bazan, president and CEO of Houston First Corp. “We are confident that partnering with CBRE will help us select the right restaurant operator, which is a key element in reimagining this new greenspace.”
The planned restaurant will occupy the southwest corner of the square near the intersection of Smith and Capitol streets. Rios Clementi Hale Studios designed the two-level building, which will include a 1,241-square-foot patio and a green roof.
Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
CBRE’s Lacee Jacobs and Laura Harness are the exclusive leasing agents for the restaurant space.
“This restaurant will complement the park’s redevelopment vision by helping create a dynamic epicenter for the performing arts,” said Jacobs. “We are still early enough in the process for a tenant to influence key construction and build-out decisions.”
Feb. 6, 2020 Realty News Report. Copyright 2020.